1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to apparatuses for assisting the movement of a person and, in certain aspects, to apparatus for lifting and lowering a person with respect to, e.g., a bed, a chair, a vehicle, or a commode.
2. Description of Related Art
The prior art discloses a wide variety of supports, lifts, and movement assistance apparatuses for helping handicapped persons, patients in healthcare facilities, and invalids move and for helping caregivers move or aid in the movement of such persons. The prior art provides such apparatuses for various situations e.g., movement into and out of a tub or shower areas; movement into and out of a vehicle; movement with respect to a commode; and movement with respect to a bed or chair.
Certain person movement apparatuses require a substantial and complex support structure in addition to already existing walls, foundations, and supports. Many personal movement apparatuses are confined to a single area and do not service multiple stations in a single place, e.g., in a house or hospital there are separate movement apparatuses adjacent commodes and adjacent beds.
There has long been a need for a movement apparatus that is easily installed in existing structures, including, but not limited to, in homes or hospitals. There has long been a need for such a an apparatus that can service multiple stations in the same building or location. There has long been a need for such apparatuses which is easily adjustable and easily connected to body support apparatus.
The present invention discloses a movement system for moving a person, the movement system in certain aspects having power apparatus, primary line apparatus connected to the power apparatus, the power apparatus for selectively moving the primary line apparatus, at least one or a plurality of secondary lines connected to the primary line apparatus, the at least one or more secondary lines each extending to a corresponding movement station in a structure, the one or more secondary lines each having a distal end extending into a corresponding movement station for connection to personal support apparatus for moving a person, and the one or more secondary lines movable by the power apparatus for moving a person to whose personal support apparatus the at least one secondary line is attached.
The present invention, in certain embodiments, discloses a personal movement apparatus which has a central power device or machine from which extend and to which are connected a plurality of lines or cables. The lines diverge and are available in, and in certain aspects are positioned above and extend down into, one or a plurality of stations in and/or adjacent a building, house, hospital, or other facility or structure. Ends of the lines extend down from above into the area of each station for easy and quick attachment to a support harness or sling. A person can be moved, lifted, and/or lowered from one place at that station to another place. For example, and not by way of limitation, a person may be moved from a sitting position in a chair to a standing position; from a standing position near a commode to sitting position on a commode; or from a reclining position in a bed to a sitting position in the bed or to a standing position by the bed.
In one particular embodiment a lead line or lead rope extends from a power device or machine that selectively moves, and/or takes in and plays out the lead line or lead rope. The power device is located in any convenient location and may be on ground level if appropriate line direction changing hardware, pulleys, and/or rings are used in one aspect the power device is located above a plurality of rooms. From the lead line or lead rope extend a plurality of secondary lines each of which has a distal end available in each of the plurality of rooms for attachment to a personal support apparatus or sling for facilitating personal movement in each room.
In certain aspect there is a central control, wired and/or wireless, that controls the main power device and thus controls the lines going to each location in a facility. In other aspects there is a control device in each location to which a secondary line extends. In other aspects there is a hand-held or personal control device, wired or wireless, which may be used by a caregiver or assistant of by the person being moved.
It is, therefore, an object of at least certain preferred embodiments of the present invention to provide:
New, useful, unique, efficient, nonobvious personal movement apparatuses;
Such apparatuses with multiple support lines for multiple stations in a single facility;
Such apparatuses which are easily installed in existing structures and which, in certain aspects, can use existing structural support members; and
Methods for using such apparatuses.
Certain embodiments of this invention are not limited to any particular individual feature disclosed here, but include combinations of them distinguished from the prior art in their structures and functions. Features of the invention have been broadly described so that the detailed descriptions that follow may be better understood, and in order that the contributions of this invention to the arts may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional aspects of the invention described below and which may be included in the subject matter of the claims to this invention. Those skilled in the art who have the benefit of this invention, its teachings, and suggestions will appreciate that the conceptions of this disclosure may be used as a creative basis for designing other structures, methods and systems for carrying out and practicing the present invention. The claims of this invention are to be read to include any legally equivalent devices or methods which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The present invention recognizes and addresses the previously-mentioned problems and long-felt needs and provides a solution to those problems and a satisfactory meeting of those needs in its various possible embodiments and equivalents thereof. To one of skill in this art who has the benefits of this invention""s realizations, teachings, disclosures, and suggestions, other purposes and advantages will be appreciated from the following description of preferred embodiments, given for the purpose of disclosure, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The detail in these descriptions is not intended to thwart this patent""s object to claim this invention no matter how others may later disguise it by variations in form or additions of further improvements.